JOE JORDAN'S toothless grin is one of the most iconic images in Scottish football.

Now Gordon McQueen wants the Scotland legend to put the smile back on the face of our game.

McQueen sees a squad of players gripped by fear and nerves when he watches the national team in action.

That’s why the 30-times capped defender believes the first job of Craig Levein’s successor is to make them relax and enjoy pulling on the dark blue jersey.

Nobody did that more than pal Jordan who is best remembered for his crucial goal against Czechoslovakia in 1973 which helped take Scotland to their first World Cup in 16 years.

With the Road to Rio almost certainly blocked, Euro 2016 in France is the next realistic chance of reaching a major tournament.

By that time it will be 18 years since Craig Brown’s Scotland competed on French soil at the World Cup and McQueen reckons Jordan can end our exile again, this time from the dugout.

The pair go back a long way from their days starting out as youngsters at Leeds and both served as best man at the other’s wedding.

Now McQueen believes Jordan is the best man to get Scotland on the up again.

The 60-year-old – smiling himself after being inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame last Sunday – said: “I just feel Scotland is a bit serious now.

“I never see the players happy or enjoying their football. The whole thing is a bit stiff.

“I want to go gung-ho again, get forward and put a smile on players’ faces. We don’t do that any more. It needs more than just smiling of course – but that would be a start.

“I’d put Joe in the job and he would need to lighten the mood in the camp. The players look like a bag of nerves and I’m sure he’d make them relax.

“Joe is the right age, he’d be popular with the Tartan Army and he has the experience after working for a few years with Harry Redknapp at Spurs.

“He was assistant at Celtic and managed Bristol City and Hearts. So he ticks the boxes.

“Joe has been first-team coach for a long time but I don’t think there’s a great deal of difference between that and management. He knows what Scotland is all about. He loves Scotland.

“Joe would command the respect of the fans, the press and the players – that goes without saying. Joe has handled big names at Spurs so that wouldn’t be an issue.

“We went to Leeds as kids together in 1972 and our careers followed the same path.

“I was best man at his wedding and he was best man at mine. I’d be delighted to look down and see him in the dugout as Scotland manager but it’s not my call.

“Joe is a big favourite with the Tartan Army and it’s important to keep them happy.

“I’m not so sure Craig Levein did that. But no matter who gets the Scotland job they have a difficult task because we don’t have the players.

“I thought Levein was there for the long term and the SFA were going to give him time to develop the grassroots. But I’m not sure his PR was that great.

“You have to keep the press on your side – don’t underestimate that side of it. You need results as well and the Tartan Army weren’t having it.”

Gordon McQueen accepts his award from Joe Jordan

Scotland sit bottom of Group A after a dismal start to the World Cup campaign and McQueen is feeling the pain more than most.

He said: “I’m a Scot living in England so can you imagine how hard it is for me! I want to see us back on track.”

While he’s backing Jordan for the job, McQueen knows another old team-mate is the favourite.

He played with Gordon Strachan for Manchester United and Scotland before working under the former Celtic bo ss as a scout at Middlesbrough.

That last post didn’t work out for Strachan but McQueen believes he would be a success as national gaffer.

He said: “Gordon would lighten the players up a bit.

“I’d take Joe ahead of Gordon but I’m biased because he’s my best pal. But I get on fine with Gordon and he’d be a good Scotland boss too.

“It didn’t work out at Boro but who cares? He tried to sign a lot of Scots – Stephen McManus, Kevin Thomson, Barry Robson and Kris Boyd – but that move backfired a bit.

“He would be good at PR and that has a lot to do with the job.

“You don’t have players week in, week out and there’s no hassle over their contracts. It’s about keeping them happy at international level and he would do that.

“As a player Gordon was a bubbly character and he could put a smile back on faces.”

Jordan presented McQueen with his Hall of Fame award at the ceremony.

Frank McLintock, Bob McPhail, Pat Stanton and Andrew Watson – who became the world’s first black international footballer when he played for Scotland in 1881 – were also inducted on the night.

Proud McQueen said: “I’m not half as good as some of those in the Hall of Fame so it’s incredible to be on that list. I’m joining guys I idolised when I was a wee boy in Kilbirnie.

“I was a Rangers fan so I looked up to John Greig, Willie Henderson, Davie Wilson and Colin Stein. I went to Ibrox on Saturday and bumped into Willie, Tam Forsyth, Sandy Jardine and Colin Jackson – guys I played with and against. It was a great day.”